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Amar Singh Chamkila: Few observations from Imtiaz Ali's latest film starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra that prove his cinematic brilliance
Imtiaz Ali's latest film Amar Singh Chamkila is full of moments that leave you in awe as a cinema lover. Here are some that are our personal favorite.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mention of death.
Imtiaz Ali is back with his latest film Amar Singh Chamkila and like his previous movies even this time, every minute detail of it is being discussed. That's what the most interesting part of watching an Imtiaz film is!
The filmmaker sprinkles his films with so many hidden and subtle details that filmy geeks like us can spend their lives discovering and talking about them. Watching Amar Singh Chamkila was a wholesome experience because every scene had something more to it than what was going on.
Here are a few observations that I had while watching Amar Singh Chamkila
Empthay vs Glorification
Normally when biopics are made in Bollywood, the filmmakers take a unidimensional route. There's nothing and no one who questions the actions of the central character. But Imtiaz who has made his career's first biopic does a brilliant job of being as neutral as possible.
At several junctures during the film, you see the lyrics and songs of Amar Singh Chamkila played by Diljit Dosanjh being questioned. While the film doesn't go subtle in showing the situations that shaped his writing style, the director-writer never tries to support his actions. Instead, he takes the route of sympathy by telling how it was the society that criticized him was the one demanding and enjoying a specific kind of music style as well.
Note how brilliantly written the interview scene of Chamkila is. Without saying what the artist is doing is right, it tells how he's just trying to survive by doing what he has learned and observed around him. It tells that he's a singer of people and if anyone is to be questioned here, it's the people.
There's a moment in the film when Chamkila stops performing vulgar songs and starts singing devotional tracks. But he has to go back to his original style when people force him to do so.
If that's not it, Chamkila's actions in the film face fierce questions from DSP Dalbir Singh who has reached his house after his death. Every time he questioned his music style and its glorification, I felt standing on Dalbir's side. But the story progression wins me over just like him.
I couldn't help but love the scene where Imtiaz shows how Dalbir has finally started understanding the POV of Chamkila. The scene is evidence of Imtiaz's cinematic genius because when you see Dalbir finally starting to understand Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur played by Parineeti Chopra, he's also made to come and stand outside the window of the duo's bedroom where at some point they used to practice their music. Imtiaz chooses sound as a medium to convey the idea of empathy by showing how the sound of Chamkila and Amarjot is finally reaching his heart.
Demand for Entertainment in a time of crisis
Imtiaz Ali brilliantly shows how Chamkila became people's selected medium of entertainment during the time of crisis. The placement of the song Ishq Mitaye during the time Chamkila and Amarjot are invited for back-to-back live shows while on another side Punjab is burning is a masterstroke. It's incredible how they fearlessly fulfill the demand for entertainment despite the dance of death everywhere around.
When Chamkila becomes a man with no goal
During one of his foreign shows, Chamkila and Amarjot are told by an organizer the bookings of their show were much bigger than that of Amitabh Bachchan. Now, Chamkila is shown as a fan of Big B in the film, and when he realizes that his success has surpassed the superstar of Bollywood, he feels happy for a few seconds but something kills him inside. He's upset because now he doesn't have any goal left to achieve. It's like he has achieved more love than he dreamt of which also in a way prepares him for death staring right into his eyes.
Happiness in discomfort
Chamkila comes from a world where he has seen so many hardships that there's no concept of suffocation or claustrophobia in his dictionary. Note the scenes when Chamkila, Amarjot along with other boys in their team travel in one car together to their show. Four of them are sitting together in the back seat and two are in the front seat along with the driver. They are clearly adjusting way too much but don't show any sign of trouble. They are happy because now they have a car and there's nothing to complain about.
ALSO READ: OPINION: Diljit Dosanjh's Amar Singh Chamkila is Imtiaz Ali's OG Rockstar; know why
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